A/N: I've been reading some of your comments and tweets, and I can't help but be touched by the sentiments you shared about Fabienne's words and thoughts in the previous chapter. I really appreciate them!

CASTIEL

IT LOOKED like everything was going exactly as planned.

Nagising ako nitong umaga na may ngiti sa aking labi. As soon as I got off my bed, I stood by my window, drew the curtain, and greeted the rising sun. Tanaw ko ang mga school building mula sa bintana. I yawned and stretched my arms upward. I had a good night sleep and I felt so much energy to start my day.

I grabbed my walking cane and limped my way out of the bedroom. In the living room, I found a familiar figure lying on the couch and swiping on his phone. He was wearing a plain white shirt and shorts. People would not instantly recognize him because his signature blazer was not on. But I could. Dead giveaway ang bagsak niyang bangs. Nag-i-scroll siya sa page ng mga news website.

"Ano'ng balita?" tanong ko bago pumunta sa kitchen. Inabot ng kanang kamay ko ang malinis na mug mula sa dish rack at maingat na binuhusan ng mainit na tubig. Thank goodness, my roommate heated some water.

"Same old politics," Priam answered with little to no enthusiasm. "Same old drama. I sometimes wonder if this country still has a chance to change or we're already doomed as a nation."

As a Political Science student, he must be disheartened by what was going on in this cursed country. Even I was losing faith too. But real world politics was the least of my concern at the moment.

Maingat kong ipinatong ang vacuum-insulated airpot sa mesa. I grabbed a sachet of three-in-one instant coffee and poured its contents into my cup. "I'm not talking about politics. I'm talking about yesterday's meeting."

He turned his head in my direction. "Oh? I thought you've already sorted it out with Val? In-approve ko na rin noong bumalik ako sa USC office, 'di ba?"

I stirred my coffee until the powder was completely dissolved. Pumunta na ako sa sala, dala-dala ang aking mug. "I'm not talking about the meeting on the CSC team building. I'm talking about your meeting with Fabienne, your First Lady."

"Oh, that?" He returned his gaze on his phone. "I told you, it went relatively okay."

Ang dry namang kausap nito. Kahapon, tinanong ko na siya kung kumusta. Ang sabi niya? "Okay lang." He did not go into details no matter how hard I tried to squeeze information from him. Mabuti't nakausap ko si Fabienne kagabi kaya alam ko kung ano ang nangyari sa kanilang meeting. It started and ended pretty well.

What else could I expect from him? He would not share his thoughts with me sometimes. "Have you dreamt of her? Has she been running in your mind?"

He lowered his phone and stared at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Why will I dream of her?"

I blew the steam off my mug and tried to take a sip. Ngunit mainit-init pa ang kape. "Malay natin, na-love at first sight ka sa kanya?"

He scoffed. "Ganyan ba kababa ang tingin mo sa 'kin? Love at first sight is just an attraction based on a person's physical features. And you told me to not fall in love with her, remember? So why will I entertain any romantic thought?"

I gave him that caveat, but some circumstances were beyond my control. Priam and Fabienne were the actors in the drama that I was writing and directing, but they were still humans—capable of thinking and feeling on their own. Whatever would happen in the future, my priority was to make sure that the president would be protected and that the the plan would be a success.

Umupo ako sa kabilang couch at isinandal sa gilid ang aking cane. I groaned, my face twitching, as I stretched my left limb. Damn this leg! Seconds later, I felt relieved.

Since last year, Priam and I had been sharing the same two-bedroom unit in the university hostel. The four lower floors were for studio-type units. Mas affordable ang mga 'yon para sa mga estudyante na hindi gano'n kalaki ang budget. Meanwhile, the three upper floors were for one- to two-bedroom units. For students who got the money to afford bigger spaces, they could rent a unit like ours.

The truth was, I did not want to stay here. But thanks to a certain incident, I was offered to stay here until graduation—for free. Kahit na labag sa loob ko, tinanggap ko na. Makatutulong din kahit paano sa education at finances ko.

Ugh. My hand clutched on my left knee as a sharp pain coursed through my leg. Napangiwi ako sa biglang sakit, ngunit sinubukan kong huwag ipahalata kay Priam.

"How's your leg?" he asked.

Napaangat ang tingin ko sa kanya. He must have heard me groaning no matter how I tried to keep it quiet. "Hindi na kasing dalas ang sakit kumpara dati. It's getting better, but I can still feel occasional pain. Wala namang dapat ikabahala. May therapy session nga ako this weekend. I bet the doctor would say that I'm already improving."

As much as possible, I wanted to avoid the topic about my leg. Mas nararamdaman ko na may diperensya ako at mas napadadalas ang sakit kapag natutuon dito ang atensyon ko. The less I thought about it, the better for me. Priam knew that I hated that topic, but he was probably concerned because of my unusual groan just a second ago.

"Hey, don't change the subject." I placed my mug on the center table. Kailangan kong ibahin ang topic para tuluyang mawala ang sakit. "We're not yet done talking about your first meeting yesterday."

"What else is there to talk about?"

"What do you think of her?" I asked curiously. Mang-iintriga muna ako. "Sa tingin mo ba'y bagay siyang maging First Lady mo? Magiging comfortable ka ba kapag kasama siya?"

Tuluyan na niyang ibinaba ang kanyang phone at tumingin nang direkta sa mga mata ko.

"I think she can play the role very well," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "We don't have a particular mold for the First Lady character so she can shape it the way she wants. She didn't make me feel uncomfortable when we met yesterday. It might be the other way around though."

That was a good sign. Kailangang maging komportable sila sa company ng isa't isa. That would make the whole act less troublesome for the actors and more convincing in the eyes of the audience.

"At the very least, she's not annoying." Priam looked at his phone again, as if he was trying to avoid my gaze. "Her presence is fortunately not an irritant. I can get along with her the same way I get along with other USC officers."

"'Yan talaga ang hanap mo sa babae? 'Yong hindi ka mabubuwisit sa presence niya?"

"I bet even you don't want an annoying partner."

Napangisi kaming pareho bago ako muling uminom ng coffee. I had not thought about finding a girlfriend because I was too busy with student council stuff. Mas importante ito kaysa maghanap ng potential partner. I also had some unfinished business to settle first in the university. Once that was resolved, maybe I could already look for a special someone.

"Just curious," I spoke, breaking the momentary silence. "Did you find her attractive?"

"She's pretty," he replied.

Naghintay pa ako kung may idaragdag pa siya, ngunit hanggang doon lamang ang sinabi niya. He was sometimes a man of few words.

"And she's nice," he added.

Painom na sana ako ng kape nang saglit akong napahinto. Hearing him compliment someone was rare. He would not say it if he did not honestly believe in it. Kung sasabihin niyang "nice" si Fabienne, malamang totoo 'yon.

At this point, I could not confirm nor deny if our First Lady was truly nice. Hindi ko pa siya lubusang kilala. I could describe her as passionate or dedicated, but not yet genuinely nice. Baka may sinabi siya kay Priam kaya gano'n ang description nito sa kanya. Darn, I wanted to know exactly what they had talked about. The curiosity was killing me. Dapat yata ipa-record ko ang kanilang conversation? No, that was too much.

"Last night, I texted Fabienne para mag-report sa 'kin tungkol sa meeting n'yo," kuwento ko. "She told me quite a lot. Nabanggit din niya na may kaunting progress."

"We talked about the do's and dont's of this pretend relationship." He went back to playing with his phone. "We agreed that it's best to lay down some ground rules before we proceed. Kailangan naming malaman ang limitations."

"What kind of rules did you come up with?" Knowing Priam, I got a hunch that some of them were kinda absurd. He was a stickler for the rules after all.

"You should ask Fabienne if you're really curious."

"Ikaw ang kausap ko ngayon kaya ikaw dapat ang sumagot."

"Hindi ko memorized ang lahat."

"That's okay! Just tell me some of them para may idea ako kung ano ang pwede at hindi pwede sa inyong dalawa. That might affect my planning."

"Fine." Priam sighed in resignation. "One of the rules is . . . No public display of affection. No kissing, holding hands, clinging, et cetera while Fabienne and I are in public."

Sounds reasonable. "Pangit kung ikaw mismo na USC president ang lalabag sa anti-PDA rule natin. Though I must admit, mas makakukuha kayo ng atensyon kung makikita kayong magkahawak-kamay habang naglalakad sa oval."

"That's gross." Priam shuddered. Wala yatang kakilig-kilig ang lalaking ito sa katawan. "Then there's the no sex rule."

That one was pretty obvious. "This is just a pretend relationship so you don't have to actually do what couples normally do. But if you two will consent to doing it . . ."

"That's gross." Priam rubbed his palms on both of his arms. Talaga bang nanindig ang mga balahibo niya sa pangingilabot? Baka exaggerated ang reaksyon niya? Well, it would not come as a surprise if he had not have any experience before.

"No cheating. We must not entertain anyone romantically until the pretend relationship is over."

That one was perfect. "I've already told Fabienne about that thing, pero mas magandang clear sa inyong dalawa. I doubt na meron kang i-e-entertain na babae kaya kay Fabienne ako medyo concerned. Gaya ng description mo sa kanya, she's pretty . . . and nice. She'll also star as Juliet in their upcoming play. I won't be surprised kung may magtangkang manligaw sa kanya."

There was also the issue of her ex-boyfriends. Ang sabi niya, may isa siyang ex na college student. Maybe he was also studying in the same university. I got no idea how their relationship ended, but there could be a chance that he would enter the scene again and mess with my plan. Or maybe, I was overthinking.

"Our relationship schedule is only from Monday to Friday, from seven in the morning until seven in the evening. Beyond that sched, we don't have to pretend—"

"You need to amend that," I cut his words short. "We may have to invite her sa ilang activities natin. Some of them are scheduled on weekends, gaya ng team building ng CSC officers. Overnight pa 'yon kaya lagpas sa seven o'clock."

"Oh." His eyes blinked. "I forgot about that. I don't mind amending it, but you have to convince Fabienne. Nagkasundo kami na wala kaming babaguhin, idaragdag o babawasan sa rules kung walang approval naming pareho."

"Ako na'ng bahala sa kanya."

The rest of the rules that he told me were somewhat mundane. I kept on listening until he ran out of things that he could remember. Contrary to my expectations, none of them were too absurd. Baka na-filter na noong nagkausap ang dalawa.

"You had a taste yesterday of what your pretend relationship would be like." I still blew on my mug even if my coffee was not that hot anymore. "Do you think you can keep it up until the elections?"

"I have no choice, do I?" Priam looked at me in the eye. "Iniisip kong may group project kaming dalawa sa buong year para hindi ako makaramdam ng pressure."

I sipped from my cup. "That's a nice way of putting it."

"But for a second yesterday, I thought of changing my mind and giving up on this plan." Napatingin sa kanya ang mga naningkit kong mata. "But she convinced me not to. I found that strange. Sinabi kong hindi natin babawiin ang USC scholarship niya kahit hindi na niya ituloy ang pagiging First Lady. Instead of accepting it, she lectured me on persevering for the things we want to accomplish."

Napangiti ako matapos uminom. I placed my mug on the table and put my hands together. Other candidates would have surely accepted Priam's offer, but Fabienne chose not to. "Now that's interesting."

"Anyway, what's the next step in your plan?"

"Have you seen the viral post on the CampuSite?" I asked back. "'Yong picture mo at ni Fabienne na magkatabi sa booth ng Moonbucks Cafe?"

"I saw it, but I scrolled past it."

"Hindi mo man binasa ang mga comment?"

"I don't want to waste time reading other people's opinion about me."

I sighed. He should get used to it. This was just the beginning. There was more to come. "Right now, students are speculating kung sino ang kasama ng USC president sa cafe. May ilang tumama na ang actress na nag-star sa Mulan play ang babae, pero karamihan sa kanila ay mali. Based on the number of likes, comments and shares, there's no way the campus media will ignore this curious development. These hounds will pick up your scent."

"So what shall we do with them?"

One end of my lips curved. "We will starve them for a little while."

I CALLED for an emergency meeting this morning to discuss the recent developments. The CampuSite was abuzz with speculations on the president's mysterious date, thanks to students who would not shut up about it. We must control the narrative so the situation would not go out of control.

We all met in the conference room at ten in the morning during our break. Priam was on his usual seat at one end of the long table, with Valeria on his right and me on his left. Katabi ni Val si Tabitha na sine-shake ang hawak na cup of coffee habang katabi ko naman sina Sabrina na nakahanda ang laptop at Rowan na naka-lock ang mga kamay sa likod ng ulo niya.

"Thank you all for coming on a short notice," I greeted everyone as I stood with the help of my cane. "This is our second strategy meeting on the Presidential Image Rehabilitation Operation a.k.a. Oplan First Lady."

Rowan raised his right hand, and I acknowledged him. "Tungkol ba 'to sa kumakalat na photo ni President?"

I gave him a slow nod. "As expected, some students took notice of Priam and his date at Moonbucks Cafe yesterday. Ang hindi ko in-expect ay may kukuha ng photo at i-a-upload sa CampuSite. But thanks to this curious fellow, the operation will speed up a bit."

Sorry, but I lied in my second to the last sentence. I made sure that someone would post the photo and spread it like virus on our virtual community.

"For sure, they will make tanong kung sino ang intimate seatmate ni President," komento ni Tabitha, painom-inom sa cup of coffee niya. "May three na ngang nag-ask sa 'kin sa classroom kanina. I didn't know what to sagot to them!"

"That's exactly why I called for this meeting." I pushed my eyeglasses up the bridge of my nose. "We need to get our story straight and have the same templated response."

Val squinted her eyes at me. "What should our answer be?"

"Nothing," I answered with a shake of my head. "We must neither confirm nor deny if the president is seeing someone. Masyadong premature kung aamin na tayo. Magmumukha naman tayong sinungaling kung itatanggi natin. You may answer the following—'I have no idea,' 'That's the first time I've heard of,' 'His business is not my business,' et cetera. Understood?"

Marahang tumango ang mga kasama ko sa aquarium. It was not that difficult to comprehend.

"Priam can easily shrug them off kaya wala tayong problema kung siya ang tatanungin." I glanced at our president who rolled his eyes. "As for our First Lady, I've already told her what she needs to do. May ilan sa mga nag-comment ang nakatama sa kanilang hula. Most of them recognized her as the Mulan star, but not yet as Fabienne Lucero. Panigurado akong tatanungin siya ng kanyang classmates at kasama sa theater, kaya binigyan ko na siya ng script."

"You said she's an artista, right?" Tabitha asked. "So she must be good at pagsisinungaling. Dapat hindi tayo magka-problem sa kanya, ha?"

"Let's trust her," I replied. Isa-isa ko silang binalingan ng tingin. "Now I want to reiterate something: We must not tell anyone about Oplan First Lady. Never say anything to your friends and classmates, even to your boyfriends and girlfriends. It's imperative that we keep this as top secret. Kapag nate-tempt kayong i-share ito, isipin n'yo ang magiging consequences sa atin. It might cost us our positions and reputations. Clear?"

"Clear! Malinaw pa sa tubig."

"Rowan," I called our public relations officer's attention. Tumingin siya sa akin. "What time is your weekly press briefing?"

"Ten-thirty," sagot niya matapos i-check ang oras sa phone. "I'll give them an update on the team building discussion that we held yesterday. Should I expect questions about the photo?"

I nodded. "I'm sure the campus media is curious about it. They'll find a way para ma-confirm ito mula sa atin officially."

"So I just have to deflect their questions, correct?"

I nodded again. "You're good at twisting words to favor our narrative. Do what you do best."

"Akong bahala riyan!"

"But I'll come with you to the media room. May tiwala ako sa 'yo, pero gusto kong i-savor ang itsura ng mga reporter kapag binigyan mo sila ng no-answer response."

"Well, I don't mind. You're free to watch the show."

"Do you have any questions? If none, this emergency meeting is adjourned." I knocked my fist on the table twice to officially end it. Nagsibalik na sa kani-kanilang cubicle ang mga kasama ko. I limped my way to Rowan's area and knocked on the panel.

"You ready?" I asked.

Tumayo na siya't kinuha ang leather folder na may USC logo sa harap. "Always ready! Ang tanong, ready na ba sila sa 'kin?"

I smirked as we both left his cubicle. Laging mabilis ang lakad niya, ngunit mukhang binagalan niya ngayon para makasabay ako sa kanya.

"This Oplan First Lady is a perception game," I told him as we exited the office. Nagawi sa akin ang tingin niya. "As our master of public relations, malaki ang papel na gagampanan mo rito. I hope that we can count on you."

He flashed his white teeth at me. "Parang nakaka-pressure ang sinabi mo, Cas. But no worries! I'll do my best to protect the interest of the USC. Hindi ko kayo bibiguin. Papaikutin ko ang mga dapat paikutin. Magaling yata ako riyan!"

"Ganyan din ba ang ginagawa mo sa mga babae mo?" biro ko.

He nudged me on the arm. "Uy, grabe ka! Hindi ako nagpapaikot ng babae. Ako nga ang pinapaikot nila, eh."

Two minutes later, we arrived at the media room which was only a few doors away from the USC office. Dito kadalasang ginagawa ang press briefings ng USC at announcements ng university officials. Pwedeng mag-set-up ng cameras at ibang equipment sa likod para ma-record o ma-broadcast live sa campus TV or radio ang mga ganap nito. Sa harapan ay may lectern na nakaposisyon sa stage kung saan tumatayo ang magsasalita. Before the stage were rows of chairs where the reporters would take their seats.

May mga estudyante na sa loob nang pumasok kami. Everyone had an ID card about the same size of their palms. The word MEDIA was largely printed on them. They were the members of the campus press—the ones who shaped the opinion of the student body. We were at their mercy most of the time, and we could not do anything if they wrote something bad about the USC. I considered them as hungry hounds.

Rowan stood before the lectern and placed the folder on its surface. Ako nama'y tumayo sa gilid kung saan hindi ako hagip ng camera o makikita bilang distraction. Sumandal ako sa pader habang pinanonood ang pangiti-ngiti at pagkaway-kaway ni Rowan sa mga campus journalist.

Makalipas ang ilang sandali, nagsimula na ang press briefing. Everyone turned their heads in Rowan's direction.

"Good morning, fellow Elysians! It's been two months since I assumed the position of PRO and spokesperson of the USC. Sana'y hindi pa kayo nagsasawa sa kapogian ko."

Almost everyone in the room giggled, especially the girls. That was how Rowan tried to endear himself with the reporters, by not appearing too serious. I would probably suck at his job.

"It's time for our weekly briefing!" He opened the folder. "First, the USC is now finalizing the details of the team building for the College Student Council officers that's been set four weeks from today. We have decided to change the venue . . . "

Let's skip the boring parts and go to the juicy one: the question and answer portion. The first set of questions was about the news. Would all student councils attend? Why did we change the venue? What's new in this year's team building? Et cetera.

Mukhang walang gustong mag-bring up doon sa photo, ah? Curious. I thought these hounds would be the first ones to jump on it and devour it.

"Rowan, this isn't related to the CSC team building. But have you seen the photo circulating on CampuSite since last night?" a female reporter asked as she was recognized.

Oops. I was not wrong. They would not let this chance pass.

"What photo?" tanong ni Rowan, kunwari'y walang kaalam-alam. "Marami kasi akong nakikitang pakalat-kalat na photo. Teka, is it my leaked photo with only my underwear on? Sorry, just kidding!"

Natawa ang karamihan ng nasa media room. While some reporters might find them funny, I hoped that he would not overdo his jokes.

"It's the photo where the USC president was seen with a young, attractive female student," the reporter went on. I would applaud her for her choice of words. "Some students are curious if this is a sign that the president might be dating someone."

"First of all, just because you see a boy and a girl together doesn't automatically mean that something romantic is going on between them, okay?" Rowan answered masterfully. Ganyan talaga ang mga mahilig gumawa ng tsismis. May makita lamang na magkasama, kung ano-ano na ang iniisip. "Second, I haven't seen the photo that you're referring to. Baka USC officer din ang kasama niya? I hope we don't make an issue out of it."

Lumapit sa kanya ang babaeng reporter at iniharap ang phone screen nito.

"Oh." Kumurap si Rowan, nagmukhang nagulat sa nakita. "So this is the photo."

Bumalik na ang reporter sa puwesto niya. "Meron bang meaning ito?"

"Nasa inyo kung bibigyan n'yo ng meaning. Just kidding! Here's what I can say about it: I can't speak on behalf of the USC president regarding that matter because it's not part of our agenda or duty. Whether or not he's seeing someone, that's his personal business. Labas na ang USC rito kaya hindi ako makapagbibigay ng official statement. Next question!"

Well done, Rowan. Let's keep them guessing about the answer. Let's keep them invested in this little drama. Let's starve these hounds until they can't take it anymore.

Everyone had a part to playin my plan. Now was the turn of the campus media to do theirs.

★ ★ ★

If you've enjoyed this update and you have some thoughts to share, let me know by tweeting with the hashtag #PlayTheQueenWP!

Special thanks to raze_dali and imthecentralorgan for the illustrations!